The list of fires in Kyoto encompasses an essential aspect of urban life in the Japanese capital.

History

Although accidental fire were regular occurrences, some blazes were so devastating that they were afterwards identified as "great;" and these larger fires were more specifically identified by reference to the

Japanese era name The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

in which the blaze occurred; as in what came to be known as "the Great Hoei Fire" of 1708.

Great fires

The Great Hoei fire, so-called because it occurred during the Hoei era (1704–1711), broke out on April 28, 1708 (''Hōei 5, 8th day of the 3rd month''). The Great Kyōhō fire, so-called because it occurred during the

Kyōhō , also pronounced Kyōho, was a after '' Shōtoku'' and before '' Gembun.'' This period spanned the years from July 1716 through April 1736. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1716 : The era name of ''Kyōhō'' (meaning "Underg ...

era (1716–1736), is also identified by the name of the area of Kyoto in which the blaze began. In identifying this disaster as the "Great Nishijin fire," an unusual focus is directed towards the cloth weavers clustered in one part of Kyoto. On August 3, 1730 (''Kyōhō 15, 20th day of the 6th month''), a fire broke out in Muromachi and 3,790 houses were burnt. Over 30,000 looms in Nishi-jin were destroyed. In response, the ''bakufu'' distributed rice. The city of Kyoto was home to many cloth weavers, and the neighborhood in which this craft was centered was called Nishijin. The great fire of 1730 broke out not far from the Imperial Palace in the Nishijin neighborhood; and for this reason it was called the Great Nishijin fire. The Great Tenmei fire, so-called because it occurred during the

Tenmei is a Japanese era name (年号, ''nengō'', literally "years name") for the years between the An'ei Era and before the Kansei Era, from April 1781 through January 1789. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1781 : The new era name of Tenme ...

era (1781–1789), raged unchecked for several days. A fire in the city, which began at 3 o'clock in the morning of March 6, 1788 (''Tenmei 8, 29th day of the 1st month''), continued to burn uncontrolled until March 8 (''Tenmei 8, 1st day of the 2nd month''); and embers smoldered until they were extinguished by heavy rain on March 11 (''Tenmei 8, 4th day of the 2nd month''). The emperor and his court fled the fire, and the Imperial Palace was destroyed. No other re-construction was permitted until a new palace was completed, and shōgun

Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari ( ja, 徳川家斉, November 18, 1773 – March 22, 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern J ...

's senior councilor,

Matsudaira Sadanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and the similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793. Early life Mats ...

, was put in charge of rebuilding the palace. This fire was considered a major event. The Dutch ''

VOC VOC, VoC or voc may refer to: Science and technology * Open-circuit voltage (VOC), the voltage between two terminals when there is no external load connected * Variant of concern, a category used during the assessment of a new variant of a virus ...

'' ''

opperhoofd ''Opperhoofd'' is a Dutch word (plural ''opperhoofden'') that literally translates to "upper-head", meaning "supreme headman". The Danish equivalent ''overhoved'', which is derived from a Danish pronunciation of the Dutch or Low German word, is als ...

'' in

Dejima , in the 17th century also called Tsukishima ( 築島, "built island"), was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1854). For 220 years, it ...

noted in his official record book that "people are considering it to be a great and extraordinary heavenly portent." Hamaguri rebellion

The Great Genji fire, so-called because it occurred during the Genji era (1864–1865), began on August 20, 1864 ( '' Genji 1, 19th day of the 7th month''), as an unintended consequence of the

Kinmon Incident The , also known as the , was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on August 20 unar calendar: 19th day, 7th month 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. History Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1 ...

Select list of municipal fires

Fires other than the major ones are also identified by the Japanese era name or ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

'' in which the disaster developed. * June 8, 976 (''

Ten'en was a after ''Tenroku'' and before '' Jōgen.'' This period spanned the years from December 973 through July 976. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * February 6, 973 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events ...

2, 11th day of the 5th month''): The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was blackened to such an extent that it reflected no light.Brown, Delmer ''et al.'' (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' p. 300. * December 31, 980 ('' Tengen 3, 22nd day of the 11th month''): The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was half destroyed. * December 5, 982 (''Tengen 5, 17th day of the 11th month''): The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was reduced to a lump of melted metal which was collected and presented to the emperor. * 1148 (''

Kyūan , also romanized as Kyū-an, was a after ''Ten'yō'' and before ''Ninpei.'' This period spanned the years from July 1145 through January 1151. The reigning emperor was . Change of Era * January 25, 1145 : The new era name was created because a ...

4, 6th month''): The imperial palace was consumed by flames. * May 27, 1177 (''

Jishō was a after ''Angen'' and before ''Yōwa''. This period spanned the years from August 1177 through July 1181. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1177 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The p ...

1, 28th day of the 4th month''): A great fire in the capital was spread by high winds; and the palace was reduced to cinders. * 1361 (''

Kōan A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen. Etymology The Japanese term is the Sino-Jap ...

1, 6th month''): Snowfall was unusually heavy; and there was also a disastrous fire in Kyoto as well as a violent earthquake.Titsingh, p. 305. * April 2, 1620 (''

Genna was a coming after ''Keichō'' and before ''Kan'ei.'' This period spanned the years from July 1615 to February 1624. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1615 : The era name was changed to mark the enthronement of Go-Mizunuoo and beca ...

6, 30th day of the 2nd month''): A severe fire in Kyoto.Titsingh, p. 410. * April 6, 1620 (''Genna 6, 4th day of the 3rd month''): More fires in Kyoto. * 1673 (''

Enpō (contemporarily written as 延寳) is the after '' Kanbun'' and before ''Tenna.'' This period spanned the years from September 1673 to September 1681. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1673 : The new era of ''Enpō'' (meaning "Prolong ...

1''): There was a major fire in Kyoto. Residents of Kyoto and later historians of the period also called this the fire of the first year of ''Enpō.''Titsingh, p. 414. * 1675 (''Enpō 3''): There was a significant fire in Kyoto. It was called the fire of the third year of ''Enpō.''

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979).

Jien was a Japanese poet, historian, and Buddhist monk. Biography Jien was the son of Fujiwara no Tadamichi, a member of the Fujiwara clan of powerful aristocrats. His brother was the future regent Fujiwara no Kanezane. Jien became a Tendai monk e ...

, c. 1220], ''

Gukanshō is a historical and literary work about the history of Japan. Seven volumes in length, it was composed by Buddhist priest Jien of the Tendai sect . Political problems arising from the relations between the Imperial government and the ''bakufu ...

'' (''The Future and the Past, a translation and study of the Gukanshō, an interpretative history of Japan written in 1219''). Berkeley:

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1931). ''Kyoto: Its History and Vicissitudes Since its Foundation in 792 to 1868.'' Hong Kong: Rumford Press. * __________. (1956). ''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869.'' Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * __________. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan.'' Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822.''
London:

RoutledgeCurzon Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

. (cloth); (electronic) * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du Japon.'' Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 251800045
see also '' Imprimerie Royale de France,'' {{refend

History

Great fires

Select list of municipal fires

Notes

References

See also